A sharp-edged masterpiece by the genius that is Giorgetto Giugiaro, an amphibious film star in The Spy Who Loved Me, and, to our eyes, one of the most beautiful sports cars Lotus ever made. That’s the original Lotus Esprit. But – despite appearances – that’s not what you see here. Because this is the Series 1 by Encor, a group of former Lotus employees who’ve set out to perfect Giugiaro’s creation for the restomod era. It can’t take to the sea, but it can do everything else better.
There is something about Encor's Series 1 that is just so right. Perhaps even more right than the 1970s Esprit was. “Our job,” say Encor, "is to preserve the soul of the original, while elevating performance, comfort, and craftsmanship.” Counter-intuitively that’s meant that the basis of the Series 1 isn’t an Esprit S1 at all, but the 1990s Series 4 V8, largely because the Series 4 chassis is regarded as more robust. Then there’s the S4’s Lotus V8, giving this renewed Esprit the power "it should have had” to quote Encor, rather than the 160 bhp four cylinder engine it was first available with. Rebuilt, the V8 offers a potent 400 bhp.
Power? The Series 1 will have it in spades. Top speed is estimated at 175 mph, while 60 mph is reached in four seconds. Transmission is a remanufactured version of the original five speed manual, not least because the Series 1 is intended, like so many restomods, to offer a primarily analogue experience. That’s not to say build is slavish to the past: suspension, anti roll bars and electronics are very much of the moment and in tune with the notion that this is what Lotus - always a forward looking company - would have done.
Updated design: Series 1 by Encor
Design was entrusted to Dan Durrant, responsible for the current - and admirable - Lotus Emira. Body may look like the original but it’s entirely new, built as we’ve said on a Series 4 Esprit chassis. Gone is the fibreglass so beloved of Lotus, and instead carbon fibre is used for the entire new body shell. Protecting driver and passenger is an integrated carbon fibre roll cage, which is more than James Bond enjoyed. Inside, indicator stalks are original while all else is new, even as it pays homage to Giugiaro's vision. Neat instrument binnacle is entirely digital, leather seats are faced in blue check and there’s a wooden gear knob, just as on the first Esprit.
Everyone sensible wants a Lotus Esprit. A reliable one can be hard to find. But restored Esprit S1s are available for around £50,000. But if you’ve been seduced by Encor’s reinvented Esprit, particularly with that V8 in the back, there’s good news. The Series 1 isn't a rendering or an attention-getting concept. Encor are making 20 examples, priced at an overdraft challenging £430,000 each. We’ll meet you on the set of the next Bond movie. Vodka martinis? Of course.
Next up: Is the Morgan Aero 8 the most underrated British sports car?
